Luke 10:2 -“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
As I think about Labor Day I am reminded of the history behind this particular holiday. It started as a celebration of Oregon workers in Oregon on the first Monday of June. What a great celebration it must have been. Other states took on the holiday and then in 1897, the US established it as a federal holiday. Setting politics aside, we need a celebration of labor today more than ever. Debt and inflation seem to be hurdling citizens toward a new era of indentured servitude, especially with individual debt at an all-time high. This has destroyed a desire in folks to take pride in work, with numerous some justifying peoples’ lack of passion for their jobs, and throngs of workers admitting to “quiet quitting” at their respective jobs. Crime in our country continues to grow, prisons are overcrowded, domestic violence is out of control and our children seem to have lost their direction. When John Kennedy said at his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country," he was challenging us to look beyond ourselves and look to our communities who seem to be struggling.
As I look at Jesus' teachings, I believe that there is a challenge to us His people and His church to give back to others. There is a belief that this passage is all about evangelism but I believe evangelism more than just proselytizing others. It is a call to meet the needs of others in a tangible and profound way. People that are lonely need to have someone listen, people that are hungry need food, people that tired and worn need help and people that feel rejected and hopeless need love.
Evangelism requires two things. Meeting need and telling the gospel message. Paul writes in Romans10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" We cannot do without the telling and we cannot tell without the doing. Evangelism involves taking people seriously, getting across to their island of concerns and needs, and then sharing Christ as Lord in the context of natural living situations. It is creating the opportunity when someone asks, "why do you care." The British Theologian John Stott wrote, "to evangelize is not to win converts…but simply to announce the good news, irrespective of the results.” Let us labor.
Much love
Preach
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